Blood Bond
by Enchantments Contest
Summary: At one time the races of Enyth lived in harmony. The Dragons kept to their mountains and the Fey dwelled within the forest. A series of events led to a war between the two races.


**Enchantments Contest Entry**

**Title: **Blood Bond

**Word Count: **7,346

**Fantasy Element or Creature: **Fey and Dragons

**Summary: **At one time the races of Enyth lived in harmony. The Dragons kept to their mountains and the Fey dwelled within the forest. A series of events led to a war between the two races.

Sacrifices are made. Lives are lost. Families are torn asunder. Yet, hope and compassion live on in the hearts of some.

**Disclaimer: **Stephanie Meyers own Twilight and all characters, details, plot, etc. associated with it. Any original characters, details and plots belong to the author. No copyright infringement is intended. Any coping or reproduction of this work is not permitted without the author's express written authorization.

"Carlisle!"

I glanced up from my mortar and pestle to see Demetri come barreling through the entrance of my work space.

"Demetri, I must ask you not to shout. I have patients-"

"There's no time! I need you to come with me now! It's Felix!"

I grabbed the pouch of herbs I kept for emergencies and followed Demetri as he dashed into the forest.

This was nothing unusual. Felix and Demetri were young, only a hundred and fifty years old, and were always finding mischief of some form or another. I never minded tending their scrapes, bumps, and bruises. My only concern was Felix's mother, Queen Jane. She and King Alec were very protective of their son. They indulged him too much in my opinion. That's why he and Demetri were still running about causing trouble at their age. Normally, by now they would have found a profession to spend some time in. Being the next heir, I would have thought Felix would be studying several professions so he could understand his people. He was allowed to do what he pleased though and I worried over who would be blamed for their latest debacle.

The last escapade the two of them had gotten into, one of the blacksmiths had been chastised for crafting swords which were too sharp. The Queen did not want to listen to the fact that Felix had been goading Benjamin, our best swordsman, into sparring with him. Felix could do no wrong in her eyes. It disturbed me that she allowed Felix to get away with everything. He had no sense of personal responsibility because she never held him accountable for his actions.

The further north we ran, the more I started to worry. Dragons lived in the mountains on the northern border of the forest. Our people had always coexisted peacefully with the dragons. We stayed out of their way and they left us alone. I couldn't help but wonder what Felix and Demetri had done and what consequences it might have.

We were half a league from the mountain range when the smell of burnt flesh, singed hair, and ash overwhelmed me. My stomach churned thinking about the sight which might meet my eyes at any moment. Demetri broke into a sprint and I followed closely behind him.

Breaking through the trees and bushes into an unnatural clearing, I stopped short at the sight before me. Around the edges of the clearing, trees were randomly toppled. The brush Demetri and I had run through to reach the clearing turned out to be the top of one of the felled trees. Some of them had been rent in half while others were completely uprooted. Beyond the outer destruction, the forest was charred. The once abundant area had been razed, barely leaving the stumps of the trees.

As my gaze reached the dead center of the area, I turned and lost the contents of my stomach. Just the idea of what lay there made me ill and I had not seen the extent of the damage. I knew with just a cursory glance, we were too late. I spun on Demetri.

"What happened?" My voice was harsh and I glowered as I spoke.

Demetri wouldn't quite meet my eyes and I had the feeling what he was about to tell me was either a half-truth or a blatant lie.

"The dragon came out of nowhere and started attacking Felix. I was meeting him here so we could do some hunting. When I arrived and saw Felix fighting a dragon, I panicked and ran for the village. I thought I'd make it back in time for you to heal him. He's my best friend Carlisle. He can't be gone!" he wailed.

It was obvious he was distressed, but I still felt he was hiding something. Ignoring the feeling, as an obviously distraught Demetri paced and muttered under his breath, I carefully approached the charred form which once was Felix. Keeping my eyes on the sky, I inched my way forward. Once I was fairly certain the dragon was no longer in the immediate area, I ran the rest of the way, hoping against hope I had perhaps misjudged my first assessment and praying I was not too late. My rational mind told me there was nothing I could do for him, but I continued to wish for a miracle.

When I reached Felix's remains, Demetri called out, "I'm going to run back to the village for help and to report to the Queen."

Before I could protest, he was gone and I was left alone. I didn't fear being left out here alone; all evidence indicated the dragon was gone. I feared what Demetri would tell the Queen. His actions spoke of some sort of deception.

I couldn't follow him as I had a moral obligation to try and save Felix if I could or examine the body to determine what may have happened. Tying a cloth over my mouth and nose, I gingerly pried his body open from the fetal position. Charred flesh fell away from blackened bones as I moved him and my stomach roiled in protest at the sight. Thankfully, the bones remained intact. Dusting away some of the ash, I noticed his breastbone had a gash in it. My stomach was soon forgotten as my training kicked in. As I examined the jagged slice, my brows furrowed in confusion. The claw mark was made with a downward, not an upward, motion. I carefully tilted Felix onto his side to examine his back. Had the dragon been trying to grab Felix to pick him up or was carrying him and dropped him, there would be markings on his back. Yet, there weren't. The only conclusion I could come to was that the dragon had been trying to grab something from Felix and either got too close with its claws or Felix had the object cradled against his chest. What had he and Demetri been up to today? My stomach made its presence known once again as it twisted into knots. What consequences would this bring?

I continued my assessment of the body, but found no other markings. What had happened? Why had the dragon attacked? I had observed the dragons for years and I had never seen them attack a Fey. The only times they attacked was to retrieve prey or protect their young.

A horrible thought occurred to me moments later as I examined the area around Felix. Dragons lived in harmony with the land. I could not see any of them creating this level of destruction without just cause.

The only reason I could fathom for a dragon to level the land like this was to rescue something dear to it.

My guess was that Felix and Demetri had somehow stolen a dragon egg or another precious dragon treasure. Or rather, Felix had and Demetri was acting as lookout. It was the only explanation I could come up with to explain the destruction before me. Dragons' eggs were protected from their parents' fire. I had espied dragons breathing fire on their eggs in the winter to keep them warm. The egg would have been unharmed in its parent's struggle to rescue it, especially if the Dragon's grab attempt was unsuccessful.

Sighing, I shifted through the ash and felled, burned tree limbs, looking for more clues. The more evidence I could find to support my case, the better prepared I would be when called to present my findings before the queen. I feared her trying to blame me for being unable to save her precious son. Unfortunately, by the time Demetri arrived with help, I had combed the meadow and still had nothing other than my theory to support what had happened.

The walk back to Brightglade Village was long. I was exhausted and disappoint my search had yielded so little. My only evidence was the gash on Felix's chest. The guard tried to jostle Felix's body as little as possible to preserve the state he was in. Demetri ran ahead to clear the way. Curious fey lined the main thoroughfare to the Great Willow in the center of the village. Most stood there, eyes wide with fear as they absorbed the sight of what a dragon could do.

Murmurs followed in our wake as we approached our destination. The boughs of the Great Willow parted as we neared and as we passed through the branches, which dragged the ground, I glimpsed a couple of Felix's attendants holding them open for us. When the long, sweeping branches closed behind us, we were plunged into twilight. It was eerie going from the bright, sunny afternoon to the muted blue-grey within the tree's hanging branches.

While there were other capable healers in the village, the Queen entrusted Felix's care to me because my healing gift was so strong. I had been within the weeping willow many times before to care for him. Usually, the branches were held back to allow the sun to shine in, giving it a bright, cheerful, open appearance. Today, shadow reigned, making the space feel eerie, enclosed and claustrophobic.

When the guard set Felix's body down in the center of the main room in the trunk, Queen Jane lost all composure.

"Get out!" she screamed. "Get out! Get out! Get out! GET OUT!"

I tried several times over the next two days to avail the Queen of my services, hoping she would allow me to make her a calming tea or something to help her deal with her grief. Much to my chagrin, she refused all my services. I did not take it personally, as it was not just me she was refusing. The only one allowed to see her was King Alec.

Felix's bones were launched out to sea on his funerary canoe two days later. The queen was not in attendance. To be honest, I was surprised she allowed it as the last time I had seen her, she had been wrapped around his bones, sobbing and screaming. It was a full year after his funeral rites before we saw the Queen once more.

During the year the Queen exiled herself to the Great Willow, we enjoyed a bountiful harvest and were productive in our individual pursuits. I continued to devote myself to my healing and tried to gain an audience with the Queen to explain what my theories were from my findings in the charred meadow where we had found Felix. My requests were continually denied. My mate, Esme, devoted herself to our daughter, Alice, and supported me in my efforts to see the Queen.

Alice was different. She was gifted. Esme and I kept her gift to ourselves as she was able to "see" into the future. It was arbitrary and random and changed often. While the Queen remained in exile, Alice would wake from frightening visions and Esme and I began dreading the future. Whatever choices the Queen was making could not be good.

Alice's visions were based upon the choices people made. They were ever changing as Fey changed their decisions often. It was part of the reason we kept her gift a secret. Our people were so long lived and kept such grudges, we feared the possibility of her being used as a weapon. It would be quite easy to test your decisions against her visions until the outcome one wanted appeared. While her visions were arbitrary and random, being physically close to her made them stronger and more frequent. Esme and I asked her not to tell us when she saw something in a vision related to us. We'd rather not know.

After a year of watching Alice suffer through horrible vision after horrible vision, Esme and I were at our breaking point. We were so concerned about Alice, we were about to ask her to discuss her visions with us. We only hoped to bring some peace and comfort to her. While we might not want to know the contents, we could no longer sit back passively and watch her wake screaming. It did not help that the visions were coming more frequently either. Her face had become drawn and gaunt and her appetite was non existent. Often her sleep was interrupted and dark circles were visible beneath her eyes. She had become a ghost of her once vivacious self. Neither of us could handle seeing our young daughter suffering as she was.

As Esme and I discussed how best to broach the subject with Alice, a messenger arrived with a missive. All the Fey of Brightglade Village were summoned to the Great Willow. The Queen was going to address us.

Esme and I exchanged a glance. The Queen? The same Queen who had been holed up in her quarters since Felix's body had been brought to her? Dread gripped my heart.

"Alice!" Esme called.

"I know, Ma. We must make our way to the Great Willow," Alice sadly replied.

Normally, Alice was a happy child. She could bring joy to any with her cheerful demeanor and easy smile. I asked her once why she was so happy when she so often "saw" the evils of the world.

She announced, in typical Alice fashion, "Da, there are ills in the world, but that does not mean I aught let them take root in my heart."

I always sensed there was more she was trying to tell me in that deceptively simple sentence.

The three of us somberly made our way to the willow tree. Our mood was a sharp contrast to those already present. News of the Queen's return had people rejoicing.

When Queen Jane stepped out upon the balcony to address us, cheers erupted from the crowd. I immediately noticed the differences in her since the last time I had seen her. The similarities to Alice's appearance did not go unnoticed either. Queen Jane was haggard, her cheekbones standing out prominently and giving her a ghastly appearance. There were dark circles beneath her eyes and she appeared generally unwell to me. The smile, which seemed to only enhance the ghastliness, lit up her eyes unnaturally. She held up a bony hand and those present fell silent.

"My people, I have battled a great illness. My heart was sick from seeing my son brought back to me in the condition which he was. While I was sick, I had visions. Visions to make things right in the world. Visions which will rid our world of a great evil and bring us prosperity and peace," she cried out, looking almost feverish.

I couldn't imagine why she was saying such things. We had been very prosperous while she was sick. Had no one told her of the bountiful harvest we had? Or how our craftsmen's work had flourished? Our year had been peaceful. I did not understand why it seemed like she was claiming it had not been.

"A sickness plagues our world. We must destroy the root of it all or we will all perish as a result. The malady, my people, is dragons. We must destroy all of them, beginning with the one who stole my son from me."

Everyone looked around, confused. We had not been expecting a declaration which amounted to war, basically. How would we reach the dragons in their mountain caverns? How would we fight them?

One year later, I had the answer to my questions. Seven Fey, including Demetri, who would be leading the party, volunteered to go find and slay the dragon who killed Felix.

It took another six months for three of them to return to us. They were burnt and battered, but returned victorious with two dragon heads in tow. One of them looked much smaller than the other and I wondered if they had slain a hatchling. As I treated them, I listened to their tale unfold. For days, they had tracked the beast. They decided their best shot at defeating the beast would be to ambush and corner it. On a moonless night, they crept up the mountain and into the dragon's lair, forcing it into the back corner with its offspring. The hatchling had been an unexpected surprise but was quickly disposed of after the mother had been destroyed.

Hailed as heroes, the Queen threw them a grand feast. The night of the feast, I listened as they described in graphic detail the savagery they wrought upon the creatures and what was done to them in return. While I had treated the wounds of those who returned and had witnessed a dragon's destructive capabilities on my own, even in my worst nightmares, I could not begin to fathom the wrongs done on both sides. The tale they had told in my healer's hut was but a tidbit of the entire story.

The next several weeks were spent in fear of retaliation. I felt the dragons would come searching for those who had attacked two of their own and wreak some revenge of their own. Nothing happened. No dragons ever came.

Living in fear for weeks was difficult, especially as Alice kept pleading with me to stop the Queen. She insisted the Queen could not continue on as she was. Alice never asked anything of me so I begged an audience with her Majesty. A missive came informing me the Queen would see me in three days time. Also included was another missive instructing all Fey to assemble at the willow the next day.

Thinking it was another feast to honor those who had slain the dragons, the mood by the Great Willow was festive. The Queen stepped out onto the balcony and I was reminded of the day she had declared all dragons must die.

"I ask for volunteers to continue our mission. Our advance must continue. They fear us now, seeing what we can do to them. See how they dare not return our attack? It is our time."

More Fey, especially the young who were eager to prove themselves, volunteered to go on the next mission, which was to leave the same day as I was to speak with the Queen. Even the King was bent on killing the dragons and would be a member of the next team.

On the day I presented myself to the Queen, I implored and beseeched her to end the attacks. I tried to appeal to her sense of justice and fairness, but she laughed my arguments away. I could see in her eyes that she was no longer the kind, compassionate Queen she had once been. In her place, a monster now sat. I was reminded of Alice's words and how she refused to allow the ills of the world to take root in her heart. When I returned home, disheartened, I gripped my daughter to me tightly and held her close. She truly was an incredible child, especially given her young age.

We did not see those who left on the next mission for almost three years. During this time, Alice's visions continued to grow worse. Esme and I encouraged her to open up to us about them, but she refused. She did not want things to become worse due to interference. I continued to try and appeal to the Queen's compassionate side and begged her to end the madness.

The "hunting" party returned a month shy of the third year mark bearing the body of the King. He had died battling a dragon. His body was rent in twain and the Queen's wails could be heard throughout the village. It sounded almost as if she were being tortured. She had not only lost her child to dragons but the love of her life. I feared the madness she would sink into.

Rather than bearing skulls, as they were heavy and unwieldy, this group returned bearing teeth. One from each dragon they had slain. I swallowed down the bile, which rose in my throat, as I counted the eight teeth.

The group had left fifty strong and returned with fifteen. Some of those had lost limbs, as the healers with them were unable to prevent the infections which settled in dragon torn flesh. I felt guilty they had had to suffer, but I could not condone the actions which had led to such injuries.

We sent our King to his final rest three days later. The Queen was in attendance for that ceremony and kissed him before pushing his boat off. It was touching, but the mania which now possessed her was not.

"My people, you have seen the lives lost to these predators of the sky! They seek to drive us from our homes and take the land we claim as our own. We must drive them from our realm. We must kill them all and avenge what has been done to our sons, mates, and loves."

A cheer went up from the crowd and I felt sick to my stomach. Suddenly, I was very glad Alice had been feeling ill and Esme had stayed with her. With the Queen acting as she was, someone speaking up against her would surely face imprisonment or death and I was not sure Alice would be able to keep quiet. We had lost not only the heir and our King, but we had lost the Queen to Felix's tragic, needless death.

For a few weeks after the Queen's speech, things seemed to return to some sort of normalcy. The blacksmiths were busier, as were the training grounds. For that matter, so was I. With more Fey training, there were more injuries and I was often called upon to heal someone who had been gutted by a sword or had a deep gash. I had never felt so exhausted before.

Each night I returned home and sought solace in my family. My sister, Carmen, and her mate, Eleazar, began coming around more. Eleazar was the one who had identified Alice's gift and helped us keep her secret. Carmen was one of the few ungifted Fey. It did not bother her. She always said it was because she was the second child and I had taken all the Gift Ma and Da had to give. Despite the fact that she had no Gift, her smile was gift enough for me in the evenings when I felt entirely drained.

It was one of these evenings, weeks after our King had been brought back, that the alarm began ringing in the village. We all jumped up believing it was a dragon attack and ran to the Great Willow. There, in the center of the village, stood a bedraggled little Fey about Alice's height. She was screaming at the Queen, who stood upon her balcony.

"I didn't believe it when they said you were waging war on the dragons in my village. I ignored the rumors, thinking they had no basis in fact. That was until a few nights ago! Do you know what happened in my village? Do you know what you have wrought upon us? My entire village is gone. I watched the dragons destroy it all. They burned it to the ground with little care for who was in it! I wa-" She faltered in voice and step and looked as if she might fall over. Straightening herself up, she stood taller, her eyes never leaving the Queen's face. "I watched my parents as they were ripped apart and burned so I could live! You killed my parents."

The confession too much for her, she collapsed on the ground. Before anyone else could do anything, I rushed in and lifted her up.

"I'll care for her," I announced. "She's Alice's age and needs someone to take care of her now that she's lost her family."

I gingerly carried her back to our home, Esme and Alice behind me. I didn't care what was being said about us at the Great Willow. This child needed us and I was not about to abandon her to the whims of our mad Queen.

We cleaned her up and as we were doing so, Alice declared that the two of them were going to be great friends. I wasn't about to bet against Alice on that one. More than likely, she had seen it now that the girl was with us.

Esme shooed me out of the room so she could strip and change the poor thing. She and Alice dressed the girl in one of Alice's long shifts and I checked her over. Other than arriving filthy and being overly thin from not eating in days, she was physically healthy.

Esme, Alice and I were sitting around the table enjoying our evening meal and discussing options when the girl woke screaming. Esme flew from the table and was in Alice's room before Alice or I could get out of our seats. Esme always claimed she didn't possess a gift. I felt differently. Compared to other Fey, she was a natural mother. Alice had advantages other young Fey did not. Esme nurtured and cared for our daughter, putting Alice's needs before her own. It seemed she was already doing it for the young one whose name we still did not know.

"Shhhh," Esme cooed.

"Where am I?"

"You are in my home. My name is Esme and standing in the doorway are Carlisle and Alice."

"I'm Bella. How did I get here?"

I entered the room and smiled at Bella. Alice walked in and took a seat beside her on the bed. Taking Bella's hand in her own, she declared to all that she and Bella were going to be the best of friends. I think it was Alice's way of reassuring and comforting Bella, as she had already announced a similar sentiment earlier. Alice could come on a bit strong. Rather than scaring her off, the statement seemed to give Bella comfort and I noticed she squeezed Alice's hand in return.

"You were screaming at the Queen in the center of the village, Bella," I explained. "You fainted after accusing the Queen of killing your parents. I told the guards who came to take you away that you were delirious and did not know what you were saying. I made the assumption based on how thin and dirty you were that you had been wandering around the forest for a while without food and therefore you weren't in a fit state of mind when you were screaming up at the balcony. I couldn't allow them to drag you off in the state you were in."

She sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry if I've caused you any trouble. I am so angry everything turned out to be true and I had to suffer because of something that does not even concern me."

Esme held and comforted her as she broke down crying. Once she had fallen asleep, Alice insisted on staying with her and curled up on the bed. Esme and I left the room.

"We have to take her in, Carlisle," Esme said to me. "We cannot allow her to suffer as she is. She's lost everything and we have so much to offer her. Neither of us agrees with what the Queen is doing and she'd be safest with us."

I nodded, agreeing with everything Esme had said. She would be safest with us.

A few days later, Esme, Bella, and I arrived at the Great Willow and Bella apologized for making such a scene. I knew it was difficult for her to do, but it was the only way we could think of to keep her alive. The Queen bought her story of being grief stricken and starved. Mostly it was true, but we knew Bella was in her right mind when she blamed the Queen for killing her family. The Queen just thought her heartsick. Having been through it herself, she easily forgave Bella, but warned her not to do it again or the consequences would be dire.

Esme and I were allowed to adopt Bella into our family and we happily left the Willow with our newest member. Alice had a small celebration set up for us when we arrived. That was the first day Bella told us of her gift. She could hear animals' thoughts. We decided it was best to keep this to ourselves as well. Being able to hear animal thoughts would include dragons as well. That could put her in danger.

She couldn't remember the dragons' thoughts the night her parents died, but she was intentionally blocking them out at the time. She said the tenor of the thoughts was vicious. I couldn't blame her for wanting to protect herself. Now, she had us to protect her.

It wasn't hard to keep our girls' gifts hidden. They stayed away from most of the other Fey who were bent on preparing for war. The Queen had finally gotten what she wanted, but I wondered at what price and for how long would we be subjected to this lunacy.

For five long years we had been at war with the dragons. It had never hit home before now. The flames had been doused two days prior, but the acrid stench of burnt wood, herbs, parchment, ink, flesh and blood hung in the air and clung to my hair and clothes. I silently thanked the heavens I had been moving my family to a safer location, deeper within the forest, when the attacks happened.

The patrols around Brightglade Village had spotted dragons flying reconnaissance a fortnight prior and I had decided it would be best if my mate and daughters relocated. Most of my brethren would not feel this way, but some guilt chewed away at my heart for being away when this happened as I might have been able to do some good. By the same token, I might have been killed. Standing before the burnt out shell that once was my healer's domain, I sighed heavily. More than likely, given the state of my humble abode, I would have perished within it had I been here.

I mourned the loss of the giant tree which had sheltered me for nearly a millennia. Picking through the remains tears fell, the only outward acknowledgment of the profound grief I felt at the loss of our home.

"Carlisle!"

I turned away from my personal loss to look upon my friend, Eleazar. His normally robust countenance was ashen, his skin, clothing, and hair were covered in soot, and his eyes appeared dead and haunted.

"Carlisle, she's gone. My Carmen - she's gone," he lamented.

I fell to the ground, a mournful scream ripping loose from deep within as my chest felt torn in two. My sister. The only relative I had here on Enyth. Our parents had left for Eldylar long ago, while we chose to remain. Now, Carmen was gone. My only sister perished in some horrible way, either by claw or fire. She was so much younger than me and had so much to live for. Guilt clawed at the edges of my grief and I wondered if I had been here, could I have saved her? Would my being here have made a difference? Had I abandoned her in her hour of need? My fingers clawed at my chest, the ache becoming nearly unbearable.

Carmen's friendly smile flashed through my head and I found myself awash in memories of my sweet sister. Holding her as a baby for the first time. Carmen and I playing as children. Our parents watching the two of us splashing around in the river. Carmen helping Esme with the birth of Alice. She and Alice bonding beneath the sycamore we called home. Bella and Carmen meeting for the first time.

Images of Esme, Alice, and Bella together and safe flashed through my head and eased some of my guilt. Carmen wanted them to be safe. She had encouraged me to leave and ensure their safety. My only comfort, slight as it might be, was that Carmen knew we were safe. Dredging up untold strength, I stopped making such a dreadful noise and slowly stood up. I lay my hand upon the husk of the tree next to me, drawing out the enchantments which left it nothing but an ash shell. Soot and ash fell all around Eleazar and me, while some blew off in the light breeze. As the destruction settled around us, my world felt as bleak as the grey filter I was seeing it through. Even the bright sunlight, filtering down through the remaining trees, could not warm me. The cloud of ash blotted it out, keeping me from its healing light. This war brought nothing but decimation and loss of precious life. Why could the Queen not see that?

In forlorn despair over the loss of my sister, I was of no comfort to Eleazar as we made our way to the Queen's temporary throne room. He was hurting as much as I was, perhaps more so. I knew that, but having such news sprung upon me, I was in no fit state to console anyone. After giving the customary greeting, a low bow with the right fist upon the heart, we sat at the circular table. There were not many of us, three dozen at most, from the hundreds who had once occupied this quiet village. Many had relocated to one of the other villages, some had left for Eldylar, and others had been lost in the attack.

The moment I sat down, weariness seeped into every inch of me. I was tired of this war with the dragons. Yes, they had done the unthinkable and killed one of our children; however, the constant killing was only going to bring extinction to both our species.

Once more, I tried explaining this to the Queen, but Fey have long memories and even longer lives. After losing Carmen, I could no longer condone the eradication of a species for vendetta. Had it been a Fey child other than the Queen's who had perished at the claws of a dragon, that dragon would have been killed and it would have been done with. The Queen felt that because we lost an heir, the entire species needed to be eradicated.

We were rarely blessed with children and when one is born to us, they are treasured. The penalty of harming a child is steep and the price for killing one is death. I understood the Queen's rage at having lost her child and could only imagine the lengths I would go to avenge my own progeny's demise.

My pleas to end the war with the terrifying beasts fell upon deaf ears as it had for years now. She insisted that in order for us to be safe in this world, we needed to ensure all dragons were eliminated. I did not agree with her then and the longer the war lasted, the more my distaste for it all grew.

"Well, Carlisle," Jane practically spit out, "as you seem to find talking about fighting the dragons tedious, you will be on the next team sent to exterminate the hideous beasts."

My eyes widened in shock. Yes, the Queen had the authority to order whomever she pleased to be on the team, but she normally asked for volunteers. I imagined part of the reason she assigned me to the team was because of my dissension and words against her. I had gained her ire and she was going to ensure I paid for that mistake. Not wishing to anger her further, I nodded my head.

"Yes, my Queen."

There was naught else to be done. I would have to be on the next team to leave and from the discussion occurring around me, it would be soon. Comforting myself, I promised I would not fight, but would use my gift to heal those who were. At least I might do some good and some of those who would not come home, because there was not a healer among them, would this time.

Three days later, we left upon our mission. We were to travel through the forest to the mountains which bordered it upon the north. There, we would find the dragons' roost and we were to kill any adult, spawn, or eggs we found. The thought of killing the young and innocent turned my stomach. I wanted no part of such brutality. Pulling aside Demetri, the Fey in charge of our group, I told him as much, but offered my services as a healer instead.

He shook his head and informed me he had no way of making me fight, but he wished I would. He even pointed out I might need to defend myself against the creatures. He did, however, accept my offer to act as healer. He knew of my gift and was thankful to have me on the team for that reason.

It was my fondest wish that perhaps what we were about to do would curb the Queen's thirst for vengeance. I wanted my girls to grow up in a world of peace, not strife. I remembered Alice's words to me before I left them to return to the village.

"Da," she said, as she gripped my right wrist in her tiny hand. "What you will do while you are gone will bring peace."

I had to take it on faith that her words meant my presence on this mission. The others present, all twenty of them, vowed to wreak terrible vengeance upon the dragons. They had all lost at least one family member in the latest attack. I found it difficult to understand why, after losing so much to the dragons, they sought to continue the insane hostilities rather than striving for a peaceful co-existence. Hoping against hope that as Alice had said, my presence here would bring peace, I marched onward, toward the unknown.

For weeks we traversed the forest, hiding in the trees when dragons would pass. They seemed to pass rather frequently, in groups of ones or twos, heading south and east of our location. We rarely saw any fly back to the north and I wondered if they were changing locations. Perhaps when we reached the caverns, there would be no dragons there.

Our clothing helped us blend into our surroundings. We had long ago mastered the art of wearing browns and greens which were in harmony with our natural environment. We blended seamlessly into the barks, leaves, trees, and shadows.

The entire journey my people talked of nothing but their retribution. They wanted swift, brutal vengeance. The way they spoke, none would survive this attack - Dragon or Fey. Already, I mourned for the losses we would all suffer at the hands of those who thought themselves better than the so called "savage beasts."

I had made little headway convincing those I traveled with to seek peace on the journey to the mountain. Their hearts were too full of pain and hatred for me to get through. My gift might work on physical ailments, but matters of the heart and emotion eluded it. I had never wished to be able to heal hearts as often as I did upon our trek.

The weather remained constant and beautiful. Sunlight filtered down through the trees, warming us as we traveled during the day and moonlight lit our way as we wrapped our woolen cloaks around us and traversed during the night. We need only rest for four hours a night to remain in top form, so we made good time. The morning the base of the mountain came into sight, sorrow overcame me. I would be unable to stop this and bring peace as Alice had predicted I would. This fact wounded me to my very soul.

I scaled the mountains to the large caverns located halfway up. The higher I climbed and the more caverns we searched, the more weight I felt pressing down upon my shoulders. This was wrong and I knew it was wrong. I had tried my best to stop the slaughter which was about to happen, but I had failed. I could do nothing to stop it now.

As that thought drifted through my mind, I heard the first sounds of battle begin. In the highest and final cave we were to search, they had found what they were seeking. I stepped into the large cavern and noticed in the dark, back corner, there were only two dragons and they were protecting an egg. The archers in the group were pelting them with arrows and the female had her wing covering the egg while the male stood in front of them both, roaring. Our pikemen hurled spears at the dragons' breasts, aiming for the heart. Swordsmen surrounded the beasts, chopping at their legs and poking at their underbellies. It was savage and butcherly.

The sounds of battle assaulted me as I watched our men persecute the dragons. Fey and Dragon blood mingled and ran in rivulets down the sloped floor of the cave toward me. Try as I might, I could not block the images from my head. To my eyes, the way the dragons' were positioned, they were protecting their egg, not caring what happened to themselves. The others had left and they were unable to because their spawn had not hatched yet.

It felt like the battle went on for forever. Our people continuing to harrow the dragons until they bled to death, taking chunks of their flesh as they went. Once the dragons were dispatched, I began healing those I could. Most of our people who met the claws of the beasts were dead. There was nothing I could do for them, even my abilities had their limits. There were a few whose injuries were not as severe and I was able to use my gift upon them. Unfortunately, Demetri was lost to us. The Queen would not be happy.

As I was healing the last of our injured men, Michael, who had lost his mate, Jessica, and his parents to the dragons, drove his sword into the egg.

"No!" I screamed when I saw what he had done.

"They all needed to die, Carlisle," he said as he turned to me. "You know our orders."

The compassion I had once seen in his eyes was gone. Fear and grief replaced it instead. His eyes were cold and I recoiled from him.

"Let's go," he said to the rest, having placed himself in charge as no one else stepped up in Demetri's stead.

I stood there, mouth agape and completely appalled at such actions and words. Waiting until they had all left the cavern and started their decent, I crept to the back. Using my gift, I placed my hand upon the dragon's egg. It was alive. Barely. I tried healing it, but it was so weak. Grabbing the dagger I kept in my boot, I sliced my hand and set it upon the open wound in the egg. Allowing my blood to seep within, I began healing the innocent once more. I could feel the blood leaving me and seeping into the baby, knitting together his wounds and strengthening his heart. Even the egg was healed as I drew my hand away.

I covered the egg with its mother's blood and then her wing. After ensuring I did everything I could to ensure its survival, I prayed another dragon would find it and care for it or that it would be able to care for itself. I could no longer linger here or the others would come searching for me and discover my...treachery? I suppose they would see it as such.

As I shimmied down the mountain face, clinging to the rocks, I sent up another prayer for the dragon I had just saved. Perhaps these were the actions Alice was referring to and it would bring peace between our races.


End file.
